Adventures in crafting and life from the English countryside

06/25/2015

I'm definitely not the first person to do this, but sometimes after working a project I hit a bit of a roadblock. Maybe it's a technique that I'm just not fond of, I've made a mistake and don't want to put in the effort to frog and reknit, or (and this is my biggest problem) maybe I'm going to run out of yarn. This was the case with my Westbourne sweater, after a couple of weeks of breezy quick knitting on the body I suddenly realised that, whoops, no way was I going to have enough yarn for the sleeves.

So I put it away, for a YEAR. At the beginning of May I decided to have a look through my WIP basket and found my oh-so-nearly-finished Westbourne. The colours were so beautiful and the fabric so lovely I made a decision to just finish it with whatever yarn I had left. A couple of days of nail biting, weighing and knitting and ta-da! Finished sweater.

I could only manage to squeeze these tiny sleeves out of what was left of my yarn (with only a meagre strand leftover) but I actually love them. It makes it a wonderful light knit to wear even on a hot day for the UK.

The Lakes Fiber and Walk Collection yarns were dreamy to use, such wonderful glowing colours that make a featherlight, soft fabric. Isabell's patterns are always brilliant, easy instructions, classic fit with modern details. I am a big fan of boatneck sweaters and am already thinking of making a longer sleeve version in different colours.

After sitting around for so long this only took me a couple of days to finish, which always makes me wonder why I put it down in the first place. I'd like to say I have learned my lesson about putting away projects, but somehow I doubt this will be the last time.

05/30/2015

The month of May has been full of making things, some I'm not quite ready to share with you yet (soon, kids, soon) but I couldn't wait to share one of my favourites.

My first ever dress! Sewing is something that I have wanted to learn properly for years. I have dipped in and out of it over that time, learning a little here and making a lot of mistakes there. I have been comfortable making bags but felt overwhelmed by dressmaking. So many new terms, techniques, materials. But this month I was so inspired by beautiful garments I've seen for Me Made May that I felt determined to try it again.

I gained a bit of confidence watching and making the Sailor Top from Fancy Tiger videos on Creative Bug. Seeing someone making a garment and learning a few simple tricks gave me more confidence, I then went on to buy the Stylish Dress Book.

I love the Japanese style of comfortable, easy to wear dresses in this book. There are very few intimidating techniques (invisible zip I'm looking at you!) for the beginner and each pattern is accompanied by illustrated instructions.

This dress is pattern "I", done in a girly lace in the book, I made mine out of some random old quilting cotton I happened to have in my stash. It started off as a light turquoise with white facing that didn't do my skintone any favours so I bravely tossed it into the machine with some Dylon fabric dye in "Tulip Red". It's a little eye wateringly bright now, but I've grown to love this vivid cerise. I didn't make any modifications other than shortening the dress by about 4" so it ended above the knee. It is the perfect dress for warm summer days in the garden.

This wasn't the first, nor far from the last, bit of sewing I've done this month and I can't wait to show off more.

04/13/2015

Yesterday was a bit of a grey and blustery day compared to the glorious warmth and sunshine we'd been enjoying but it was still a good day for a visit to some local gardens.

Such a lot of beauty even this early in the growing season is part of what I love about our mild climate. What's even better is that the ones we visit are apart of a National Garden Scheme where all the proceeds go towards charity.

Every time we see another garden I learn a little something, how far along their plants are, what they use for mulch, planting schemes. For a beginner like me it can be so inspiration to see an established garden and discover all the possibilities for my own space.

04/11/2015

It is now well and truly spring here in the southwest, daffodils coming to their end, the woods are feeling greener with every passing day. I think spring is one of those seasons that gets better as you get older. Increasingly I appreciate the renewal of the plants, watching buds and shoots with great excitement. Somehow along the way I have become a gardener. My hands have a patina of brown from digging and weeding. Trays and rows of seeds have been planted. Compost lovingly tended to. You know you've gone a bit funny when you talk to a heap of decomposing matter.

The one downside to this is my crafting life has gone onto the backburner. I have a few little projects scattered here and there, but my life seems to be devoted to being outside. But working seasonally feels very right to me just now.

03/04/2015

I love living in a village with a shop where I can buy local eggs and milk and other bits. Usually I go with the children and am too preoccupied to take notice of the little things along the lane, but when the chance came to go by myself I took full advantage of it.

I'll try to send a bit of spring sunshine to those of you who need it.

03/02/2015

Is it just me or has this year gone by in a whirlwind? I seem to have such a hard time adjusting this year, finding a rhythm and getting settled. Part of it may be changing interests for all of us. Seems like each of us has taken up new hobbies: painting, reading, fiddle, building... And then suddenly it's March!

This month I want to spend more time in my beautiful, but sorely neglected, garden. Everything is already waking up with the lengthening days and I don't want to miss the start of spring.

I also want to finish up my blanket Farmhouse Shawl before the KAL ends on the 15th. So much to do and so little time never seemed so appropriate!

01/05/2015

For me, part of the fun of starting a new year is planning what to make. I think it is partly because there seems to be so much time (a whole year!) to get things done so it's easy to get overambitious, and the planning is easier than the actual doing. So it will be fun to see how many of these I actually get done in 12 months time.

I want to stick with just a very few knitting goals this year.

#1 - Knit What I Love

That sounds easy, but I have to be honest and say there were times when I made something because it was popular, or because it was a test knit. I have a better idea now about what things I like and don't like to make and wear and want to focus on those things.

I love knitting and wear sweaters, and it seems the simpler is better for me. I am a multitasker and live for stocking stitch while listening to audiobooks, watching a movie, or reading to my children. Here are some of the sweaters I want to tackle this year:

I just noticed that all of the projects are in neutral colours that I would love to wear myself, I wonder if that's influenced my decision at all. I have 3 boxy fingering weight sweaters on that list, and I'm actually not sure if I'm a boxy sort of girl. I love the style on others but don't have any experience (waiting for my worsted Boxy to dry) to tell whether it'll suit me or not.

I want to make at least a couple more shawls this year too, and prefer the long scarf style shape vs triangular or crescent shapes.

My plan for Halfway Wrap is actually to make it for my husband (who loves to steal my Thinking of Waves shawl I did a couple of years ago). He is always on the lookout for a nice scarf but the thicker DK and aran weight ones I've knit haven't held up much to wear and are overkill for our climate.

I'm a rather fickle knitter and know things will come and go off this list with time.

#2 - Knit Only From Stash

And by this I mean, don't buy any more yarn. This sounds like such a tough one, and I struggled with the idea. I love yarn! No dyer is ever short of it, but finding and experiencing new yarns is one of life's pleasures. But then I realised I somehow managed to refrain from buying for 9 out of the 12 months last year, so it'd only take a little more effort. My philosophy is that (barring an apocalypse) there will always be beautiful yarn waiting for me.

Have you made some knitting goals for the New Year? Learning a new technique or taking the Cold Sheep pledge? What's on your must knit list for 2015?

01/02/2015

Traditionally we would spend Boxing Day (the day after Christmas) taking a brisk winter walk, but between poorly children and howling wind and hail it seems like we've been stuck in for ages. What a wonderful treat it was to take a walk on a beautiful, sunny, crisp day.

01/01/2015

I hope everyone has had a fabulous holiday these last couple of weeks. We had a quiet homely celebration sprinkled with some colds. With the New Year I always enjoy looking back at what I've made and assessing my favourite projects.

I am amazed to have finished 25 projects last year! Here's the breakdown:

8 Sweaters for me

5 Sweaters for the children

5 Hats

4 Shawls/Cowls

3 Pairs of Socks

I did have a few fails in 2014. I learned the hard way to properly separate my woolly washing from my normal wash when two of the pairs of socks (Camping and Emerald City) ended up felting in the washing machine. I also found that I just never wear knitted t-shirts. Despite how really gorgeous they were, I ended up gifting my Split Top and Almond Tee due to lack of wear.

But the highlights really shine for me this last year. I absolutely love all my long-sleeved pullovers and cardigan and all have been rotated from day to day this autumn/winter. My Bolt is my most worn shawl, I simply love the shape. It wraps around so easily and I hope to knit another or an At Dawn this year.

All of my hats have gone down really well. I did three gorgeous test knits at the beginning of December and ended up gifted two of them, but the one I kept (Warm Talvine) is like my desert island hat. It is slouchy but because of the lining it never feels sloppy to wear and keeps out cold and wind like nothing else. I am so tempted to knit a lining in my Fuego and Puck hats too.

Testing was such a big thing for me this year, virtually all of my sweaters and hats were tests and I credit the beauty of these projects to all the wonderful designers that I've had the honour of working with this year.

Have you reviewed your 2014 projects? What was your favourite/most worn knit from last year? I wish you all have a very happy and successful 2015!

11/01/2014

After a rather damp and dreary start October has gifted us one last bit of summer warmth this week. It was so fun exploring and adventuring without our jackets and hats for what will probably be the last time this year. The colour is never as vivid as when we lived in Wisconsin, but I did find so much inspiration.

One of my loves is finding potential palettes in the leaves.

I can't wait to start dyeing and knitting some of these fabulous rich colours. What's inspiring you this autumn?